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Centre tightens grip on e-waste recycling fraud, orders audit of over 2,000 units nationwide
The central government has stepped up enforcement against the issuance of fake certificates and inflated waste-processing claims in the electronic waste recycling sector. Authorities have ordered a nationwide audit of more than 2,000 recycling units handling various categories of waste, including 309 facilities dedicated to electronic waste management. During the inspection, officials will cross-check the actual capacity of machinery, production claims, electricity consumption, and official records. Any facility found submitting forged or manipulated documents faces a ban from issuing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) certificates.
The crackdown holds particular significance for Uttar Pradesh, which accounts for nearly one-third of the country’s e-waste recycling facilities. On September 18, the state pollution control board appointed regional officers to conduct immediate audits of 33 e-waste recycling units across the state. Four of these facilities provide services to Samsung. According to a senior state official, the inspection process for these units is currently underway.
Physical inspections and trial runs ordered
The central government had directed all states in July to begin inspecting recycling facilities. In a letter to state authorities, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) Chairman Amandeep Garg called for audits of over 2,000 units, specifically highlighting the 309 electronic waste recyclers. States were also issued detailed guidelines outlining the inspection procedures and compliance standards.
Under the new directives, auditors will not rely solely on paper records and will conduct on-site physical verifications. Officials are required to assess the availability and operational condition of machinery and equipment, alongside evaluating each plant’s actual production capacity. Inspectors will also conduct trial runs of the machines to verify whether a unit can genuinely process the volume of waste claimed in government records.
Electricity bills to verify processing claims
Power consumption will serve as a key parameter during the investigation. Auditors will match electricity bills of the recycling facilities against their stated processing figures. If a unit claims to have disposed of a large volume of electronic waste on paper, but its power usage and machinery capacity do not align with those numbers, its operations will be subjected to a deeper probe.
CPCB guidelines classify forged or manipulated documents as a serious violation. Facilities found guilty risk losing their authorization to issue EPR certificates. This measure aims to hold accountable both recyclers and companies that show environmental compliance on paper without carrying out actual recycling.
Scrutiny rises following compliance lapses
Since 2022, federal rules require electronics manufacturers to ensure the recycling of a specified share of the products they sell each year. Companies meet this mandate by purchasing EPR certificates generated by authorized recycling units. However, a January report by a government think tank raised concerns that certain recyclers were issuing fraudulent certificates, casting doubt on the credibility of e-waste disposal records.
The nationwide audit follows a federal investigation revealing that home appliance makers Haier and Godrej & Boyce had failed to detect fake compliance documents issued by a recycler without actual waste processing. Both companies later reiterated their commitment to legal compliance. India ranks as the world’s third-largest producer of electronic waste after China and the United States, with nearly 78 percent of discarded electronics handled by informal scrap dealers. Informal disposal exposes workers and the environment to hazardous substances like lead and mercury, while improper handling of valuable metals such as gold and silver remains a major concern in India’s 95-billion-dollar consumer electronics market.
